( 338 ) 

 NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Death of Mr. John Gatcombe.— As an old contributor to this Journal 

 the name of Mr. John Gatcombe, of Plymouth, will be familiar to our 

 readers, and we regret to have to announce his death, which took place, 

 at the age of 68, on the 28th April last. He was born at Knowle, in 

 Somersetshire, but spent the greater part of his life at Plymouth. As might 

 be inferred from the notes which he contributed from time to time to these 

 pages, Mr. Gatcombe was a naturalist who delighted in the out-door observa- 

 tion of the habits of birds, and his intimate acquaintance with a large 

 number of species rendered his notes always reliable. He was once lucky 

 enough to meet with and secure a pair of the Alpine Accentor near Plymouth 

 (Yarrell, i. p. 297). The keen interest which he took in Ornithology made 

 him always willing to assist others with information, and the Editor can 

 recall with gratitude many acts of kindness on his part in helping to clear 

 up doubtful points, especially in connection with the seasonal changes of 

 plumage in sea-birds, to which he had paid considerable attention. Should 

 anyone be found to undertake a work on the Avifauna of Devon, Mr. Gat- 

 combe's scattered notes will be found of material value in its preparation, 

 and their republication in a collected and condensed form would furnish a 

 pleasing memorial of a very worthy naturalist, who in a quiet way continually 

 strove to further the interest of Ornithology in his own county. 



MAMMALIA. 



Hedgehog attacking a Hare.— A neighbour has recently (April 29th) 

 told me of a strange capture of a Hare. He was crossing one of his fields 

 late in the evening when he heard a Hare crying. He went in the 

 direction, expecting to find one in a trap, but was astonished to come 

 across one attacked by a Hedgehog, which was holding on to one of its hind 

 legs. The Hare, a fully-grown one, seemed paralysed by fear, and allowed 

 itself to be lifted up. Directly the Hedgehog was shaken off it died in my 

 informant's hands, although the injury it had received from the bite of its 

 assailant was but slight. Such a curious fact as this seems worthy of 

 record.— MuiiRAY A. Mathew (Stonehall, Wolfscastle, Pembrokeshire). 



A Pied Hare.— In January last one of my friends shooting with me 

 here in the big wood killed a Hare which had the whole of one side from 

 nose to rump pure white, and on the other side a patch of white as big as 

 one's hand behind the shoulder. I never before heard of a variety 

 occurring in the woods here, even when they were full of hares and more 

 than 150 were shot in a day. Now, when not more than thirty are killed 

 in a day, the appearance of a variety is more curious. — J. Whitaker 

 (Rainworth, near Mansfield). 



ZOOLOGIST. — JUNE, 1887. T 



